Amusement game device

ABSTRACT

A panel for use in an amusement game device includes a supporting member and a protective layer mounted on the supporting member with a layer of screenprint between the supporting member and the protective layer. The panel has portions which are translucent, and the translucent portions provide a continuous smooth surface.

-nfljereps cned UNmaD STATES PATENJS United States Patent [72] Inventornoms c. Bmx Deerfield, nl.

[541 AMUSEMENT GAME bEvlcE 40/135 cogfz/oo,

m M, w h w www AMUSEMENT GAME DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Inamusement game devices, and more particularly, those devices which arecommonly referred to as pinball machines, the amusement game devicesgenerally include a cabinet which contains mechanical and electricalcontrol devices. A playfield is generally mounted on the cabinet and isinclined to the horizontal so that a ball rolls due to the force ofgravity from the back end ofthe playfield to the front end. Theplayfield generally contains certain artwork to define a game and maycontain one or more apertures to receive a ball and generally has one ormore bumpers mounted thereon as a portion of the garne. The cabinetusually hasa backglass mounted in the back end thereof, which backglassis generally perpendicular to the playfield. The backglass has artworkon the glass and one or more lights are usually mounted behind thebackglass to illuminate certain portions of the backglass as is requiredin the operation of the game `to indicate a score or scoringpossibilities. v

The playfield conventionally is generally constructed of a single pieceof plywood which is finished to a very smooth surface. The smoothsurface is sealed and has artwork painted thereon to identify a portionof the game and to indicate scoring possibilities. The artwork isusually covered with a clear varnish to protect it from wear by arolling ball. In some instances, the operation of the game is such thatit is desirable to light up certain sections of the play-field toindicate scoring possibilities as a part of the game. This isaccomplished by aligning a lamp under a hole in the playtieldrwhich holeis covered by a plastic button." The hole is drilled or bored throughthe plywood and the button, a colored plastic translucent disc, ismounted on the playfield flush with the surface of the playfield. A lampis conventionally mounted under the button and is controlled byappropriate circuitry to light the disc. The installation of the buttonsis expensive, and it is very difficult to provide aperfectly smoothsurface over the button and around its periphery so that the roll of theball will not be gffected. Furthermore, the button has a tendency to popout 'after protracted use so that the playfield must be repaired after`it has been placed in use.

The playfield is generally inclined, as mentioned above. The ball isgenerally rolled along a channel up the incline and then is allowed toroll down the playfield until it reaches the -bottom, and the ball isthen returned to a collecting station. Although the playfield isgenerally protected by glass, the playfield, which has a painted surfacecovered with a clear varnish, has a tendency to wear, and the ballfollowing certain paths has a tendency to deposit dirt on the surface ofthe playfield so that the playfield becomes worn and'dirty and must bereplaced even though the remainder of the device isin good operativecondition.

The backglass which is commonly used consists generally of a piece ofglass with artwork painted on the glass surface which is positionedadjacent to the light source so that light passes through the artwork inorderto illuminate the entire backglass or selected portions of thebackglass. One ofthe problems which is encountered with the backglass isthat during installation of the backglass, the backglass is exposedvtothe hazard of scratching; that is, a'sharp tool may be `dragged acrossthe painted surface, thereby removing the paint to damage the artwork onthe backglass. In certain instances it is necessary to replace bulbs or-make repairs adjacent to the backglass, and a sharp tool may be used inthe repair so that the sharp tool in some instances may accidentallyhitv the painted surface and mar the paint. Even though a backglass maynot be damaged `by having the paint on the glass marred, the heat fromthe lights has a tendency to cause the paint to fade in certaininstances, and in others, the heat causes the paint to peel away fromthe backglass, so that the backglass must be replaced.

Pinball vmachines are in many instances located in bars and restaurants'where patrons may engage in a certain amount of horseplay. ln someinstances, a glass or a bottle may be thrown and if the glass or bottlestrikes the backglass. the backglass usually shatters so that splntersof fine glass fall into the electrical circuitry behind the backglass.Thus. the repairman not only must replace the backglass but also removeall of the glass particles, which is a difficult, tedious, and in someinstances, a dangerous job.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvedpanel construction for use in an amusement game device, which device hasa light source to illuminate at least a portion of the panel. The panelincludes a sheet of transparent film and a layer of screenprint on oneside of the transparent film and a clear transparent layer on the layerof screenprint so that the sheet of transparent film and the transparentlayer protect the layer of screenprint from damage.

It is a principal object of the present-invention to provide a panel foruse in an amusement device, which panel is economical to manufacture andis not susceptible to rapid deterioration from wear.

lt is another object of this invention to provide a playfield for use inan amusement game device, which playfield utilizes an inexpensivesupport material and the support material does not require a high degreeof finishing.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improvedconstruction for a playtield in which the surface of the playeld uponwhich a ball rolls may be easily cleaned and which surface protectsartwork which constitutes a part of the playfield. l

It is a still further object of the herein disclosed invention toprovide a backglass for use in an amusement gaine device in which asheet of glass has artwork on one side thereof, which artwork isprotected from peeling and fading by a sheet of film material.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a backglass foruse in an amusement game device, which backglass has a sheet of filmmaterial attached to one side with artwork between the glass and thesheet of l'ilm material, which film material holds together portions ofthe glass should the glass be broken.

Other objects and uses of the present invention will become readilyapparent to those skilled in the art upon a perusal of the followingspecification in light of the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. l is a perspective view of anamusement game device including a playfield and a backglass embodyingthe herein disclosed invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on Line 22 of FIG. lshowing a portion of the interior construction of the amusement gamedevice shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded fragmentary perspective view of a portionof the backglass of FIG. l showing a glass sheet, a layer of screenprintand a layer of translucent film;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view through a portion of thebackglass of FIG. 2 showing in cross section the position of the variousparts of the backglass in an assembled attitude;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged exploded fragmentary perspective view showing theplayfield of FIG. l; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on Line 6-6of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing,and specifically, FIG. l, an amusement game device generally called apinball machineis shown therein and is indicated by numeral l0. Thedevice l0 generally includes a lower cabinet 12, upper cabinet 14mounted on the lower cabinet, and a plurality of legs 16 supporting thecabinets. The construction of the lower cabinet l2 is generallyconventional in that it includes an upper glass 18,

an inclined playfield which is conventionally mounted below the upperglass and slopes downward from the upper cabinet relative to thehorizontal, and a plurality of lights 22 which are electricallyconnected to an appropriate conventional control mechanism, none ofwhich control mechanisms is shown herein. The upper cabinet 14 includesa backglass 24, which is generally perpendicular to the playfield, and aplurality of lights 26. The lights 26 are connected to appropriatewiring which is not shown, and the lights 26 are connected to anappropriate conventional control device which is also not shown.

The playfield 20 includes a rigid flat base or playfield board 28 whichbase or board includes a plurality of apertures 30. The board 28 is madeof an inexpensive plywood material which, though flat, does not have ahighly finished surface; however, any other suitable material such as,flakeboard, cardboard or metal, may be used. Adhesively secured to theupper portion of board 28 by an adhesive layer 3l is a sheet oftranslucent film 32. The film 32 in this instance is polystyrene whichhas a thickness of 60 mils, though any other suitable thickness ofmaterial may be used. lt should be appreciated that although polystyreneis used herein, other materials, such as, treated polyethylenes,polyesters, nylon, cellophane, cellulose acetate, acetate butyrate, andtriacetate films also may be used. A layer of screenprint 34 lies on theupper surface of the film 32 and provides a design for the playfield andpartially defines the game of the pinball machine. The screenprint is aconventional screenprint paint which may be readily applied to the sheetof translucent film and examples of such screenprint paint are,nitrocellulose, ethyl cellulose, or alkyd resin base synthetic enamel.Adhesively secured to the layer of screenprint by a layer of adhesive 35is a sheet of transparent film 36 which provides a transparent layer forthe playfield. ln this instance, the sheet of transparent film has athickness of 2 mils, though any other suitable thickness may be used.Although polyester is the preferred material for the transparent film36, other suitable materials, such as, polystyrene, treatedpolyethylenes, nylon, cellophane, cellulose acetate, acetate butyrate,and triacetate, may be used.

The backglass 24 includes a plurality of layers which are adhesivelysecured to each other. The backglass includes a transparent layer whichin this instance is a conventional piece of glass 38 having a thicknessof approximately Va" to 3/16" and provides a rigid transparentcontinuous support. The backglass also includes a sheet of translucentfilm 40 which is, in the preferred embodiment, a 2 mil film of celluloseacetate though any other suitable thickness may be used. However, othersuitable films, including polystyrene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride,and cellophane, may be used for film 40. The film 40 has a layer ofconventional screenprint 41 adhesively secured thereon by an adhesivelayer 42. Screenprint 4l also provides a design which constitutes partof the game of the pinball machine. The layer of screenprint isadhesively secured to the glass 38 by an adhesive layer 43, so that thebackglass is, in effect, a single unit.

From the foregoing description ofthe playfield 20, it may be appreciatedthat the lights 22 provide illumination to the film 32 and thescreenprint 34 on the film through an appropriate aperture 30, therebyilluminating a portion of the design as is required in the play of thedevice. lt is important to note that there is no limitation on the shapeof aperture 30 or the shape of the design to be illuminated. However, aball such as ball 44 may roll over the aperture irrespective of theshape of the aperture, and the surface of the playfield is a continuoussmooth surface without any indentations or ridges. There is nothingwhich may readily disengage itself from the base 28 to pop out or forman undesirable ridge. Thus, the playfield has a long life.

lt may be appreciated that as the ball 44 rolls over the surface of theplayfield, it does not engage the screenprint 34 but rather, it engagesfilm 36. Thus` there is no wearing of the screenprint. Furthermore, anydirt which is carried by the ball and is deposited on the film 36 may bereadily and easily wi d off the surface of .the film.

rom the foregoing, it may be seen that the playfield provides a superiorsurface to the playfields of the prior an in that it provides a smoothcontinuous surface. Furthermore. the playfield has a long life. ltshould be noted that the playfield may be inexpensively manufactured inthat it is only necessary to screenprint the screenprint layer 34 ontothe film 32, adhesively mount film 36 onto the screenprint surface andthen bond film 32 with the screenprint and film 36 onto the base 28. ltmay be appreciated that the finishing of the base is eliminated sincethe heavier film 32 in cooperation with the thinner film 36 provides asmooth continuous surface. and there is no need to provide an expensivebase material which must be sanded and finished to a smooth surface.

The backglass 24 provides an improved backglass in that the glass 38protects the screenprint 4l from the outside, which is conventional,while the film 40 protects the screenprint from any interior damage. Thebackglass is simply manufactured in that the screenprint is adhesivelymounted on film 40 and then film 40 with the screenprint is adhesivelysecured to the glass 38. The adhesive securing of the screenprint andthe film 40 to the glass holds the glass together, in the event that theglass is broken` thereby eliminating shatter of the backglass. Thescreenprint is held between the film 40 and glass 38 so that thescreenprint does not peel off the glass. and fading of the screenprintis substantially reduced.

Although the invention has been shown and described in specific detailand specific materials have been clearly set forth, it is to beexpressly understood that those skilled in the art may make variousmodifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. Although the invention has been described indetail in the specification, it is to be expressly understood that theinvention is limited only by the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light sourcecomprising, a substantially flat rigid base having one side positionedadjacent to the light source, said base having an aperture extendingtherethrough, a sheet of translucent film having one side secured to theother side of said base and covering said aperture, a layer ofscreenprint on the other side of the sheet of translucent film providinga design on said sheet, and a thin transparent film secured to the layerof screenprint, whereby the sheet of translucent film with the layer ofscreenprint and the thin-transparent film provides a substantiallycontinuous surface on said other side of the base, and a portion of thelayer of screenprint is illuminated by the light source through saidaperture.

2. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light sourceas defined in claim l, wherein the thin transparent film is a relativelythin sheet of polyester.

3. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light sourceas defined in claim l, wherein the sheet of translucent film is arelatively thick sheet of polystyrene and the sheet of thin transparentfilm is a relatively thin sheet of polyester and includes a layer ofadhesive between the substantially flat base and the sheet oftranslucent film to secure adhesively the translucent film to the base,and a second layer of adhesive between the thin transparent film and thelayer of screenprint to secure the thin transparent film to the layer ofscreenprint.

1. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light sourcecomprising, a substantially flat rigid base having one side positionedadjacent to the light source, said base having an aperture extendingtherethrough, a sheet of translucent film having one side secured to theother side of said base and covering said aperture, a layer ofscreenprint on the other side of the sheet of translucent film providinga design on said sheet, and a thin transparent film secured to the layerof screenprint, whereby the sheet of translucent film with the layer ofscreenprint and the thin transparent film provides a substantiallycontinuous surface on said other side of the base, and a portion of thelayer of screenPrint is illuminated by the light source through saidaperture.
 2. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having alight source as defined in claim 1, wherein the thin transparent film isa relatively thin sheet of polyester.
 3. A playfield for use in anamusement game device having a light source as defined in claim 1,wherein the sheet of translucent film is a relatively thick sheet ofpolystyrene and the sheet of thin transparent film is a relatively thinsheet of polyester and includes a layer of adhesive between thesubstantially flat base and the sheet of translucent film to secureadhesively the translucent film to the base, and a second layer ofadhesive between the thin transparent film and the layer of screenprintto secure the thin transparent film to the layer of screenprint.